NFL Player News

McLaughlin exited Week 15 early with a quad injury and missed Week 16. He starts out this week practicing in a limited capacity and could be on track to return for Week 17 against the Bengals. The Broncos just promoted Blake Watson to the active roster and opened Tyler Badie’s practice window. McLaughlin should be off fantasy radars in this murky backfield.

Andrews nearly found the end zone in the first half on a long toss from Lamar Jackson. The MVP-hopeful hit him for a 67-yard catch-and-run, but Texans safety Calen Bullock took a good angle and chased Andrews down in the red zone. Not wanting to leave fantasy managers hanging, the Texans left him wide open in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter. Andrews hasn’t posted many gaudy yardage totals this year, but he has become Jackson’s go-to red zone target, resulting in 10 touchdown grabs with one week left in the regular season. Andrews remains a mid-range TE1 for his Week 18 date with the Browns.

For fantasy purposes, Henry was the Raven most hurt by Houston’s inability to keep up with Baltimore. The bruising back had 10 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown through 15 minutes. He continued to bully the Texans in the second and third quarters, but Lamar Jackson scored the team’s following three touchdowns before John Harbaugh called off the dogs in the fourth quarter and gave his starters some rest. Had the Texans kept the game competitive, Henry could have posted even more monstrous numbers in the final week of the fantasy season. He should close out the year with a bang as Baltimore looks to secure the AFC North crown with a win over Cleveland in Week 18.

Jackson made history versus Houston with his 6,110th career rushing yard, overtaking Michael Vick for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history. He punctuated the historic performance with a 48-yard rushing score to open the third quarter. The run gave Baltimore a 22-point lead, icing the game and then some. Jackson, however, tossed a short score to Mark Andrews later in the third quarter for good measure. The Ravens just need a win in Week 18 to secure the AFC North crown and a home field game to open the playoffs, keeping Jackson at the top of the QB1 ranks for his regular season finale.

With Justice Hill out for Week 17 because of a concussion, Ali was in line for RB2 duties this week. That didn’t amount to much as he earned one carry which was a loss of three yards. Keaton Mitchell could ascend to the No. 2 role for Week 18 if Ali and Hill remain out.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was non-committal when talking about DTR’s availability on Monday, only saying the team will work through their options if he can’t suit up. With Jameis Winston inactive last week because of a shoulder injury, the Browns may be down to Bailey Zappe for Week 17. Needless to say, this is a true wasteland for the final week of the fantasy season.

Per head coach Matt LaFleur, Watson suffered a bone bruise in Week 16 against the Saints. He did not return but was never formally ruled out. LaFleur called the bone bruise diagnosis “good news” and said he could potentially play in Week 17 against the Vikings. Wednesday’s practice report is just an estimation with the Packers taking the day off, so we’ll know more on Thursday. Dontayvion Wicks would take Watson’s place in the lineup if he doesn’t play.

Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters London could have returned to Week 16’s game against the Giants if needed. London left in the fourth quarter of a blowout, so there was no reason to bring him back. An estimated LP tag to open the week suggests London will be out there on Sunday. He will remain a volume-based WR2 for the final week of the fantasy season.

Pollard rarely practices anymore, let alone on Wednesday. On top of that, today’s practice report is an estimation by the team as no practices were actually held on Christmas. Stay tuned for Thursday’s report. Tyjae Spears out-carried Pollard 10-8 last week and could be in line for more work if Pollard is ruled out for Week 17.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Monday that Njoku is now dealing with a knee issue. He returned from a hamstring injury last week but played limited snaps. With the Browns out of the playoff hunt, it doesn’t make much sense for Njoku to play through the latest injury. Jordan Akins could make another spot-start on Sunday, though the veteran blocking tight end is not on the fantasy menu, even as the Browns’ top option.

Waddle missed Week 16 with the knee issue. Miami didn’t hold a practice Wednesday due to the holiday, so his status is just a guess from the team. Still, it’s not a great sign for his Week 17 availability. Rookie Malik Washington will hold his starting role in the final week of the fantasy season if Waddle remains sidelined. Washington caught 3-of-4 targets for 28 yards last week.